In the days before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy fought to get Congress to pass a tax cut.

He said his political opponents "talk loudly of deficits and socialism" but do not have a single job-creating program to offer. His Republican opponents called the administration "a mess."

The civil rights measure Kennedy was pursuing also was going nowhere.

And the Times Union of Nov. 22, 1963 reported that Kennedy was getting a mixed reception as he landed in Texas amid feuding in the Democratic Party.

Today, Kennedy is remembered as a heroic figure, the man who brought Camelot to the White House. But the newspapers in the days before his death present a more familiar image of a president struggling to get his will done in Washington. Locally, readers were focused on everyday concerns, like the 10,000 people who packed the Washington Avenue Armory for a ski show and the spectacular fire that did $100,000 worth of damage to South Shaker Farms in Colonie.

Kennedy's death on Nov. 22 changed all that. Suddenly the newspapers were filled with the tragic news, followed swiftly by the shock of the President's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, being gunned down himself.

Here is a look at the news in the days before and after the assassination, as reported in the Times Union on the date below.

Nov. 16, 1963

The big news story of the day in the Capital Region was the second annual ski show.

"Although as hot as July inside the armory, the many booths displaying ski equipment and information of ski resorts gave the enthusiastic audience the feeling of the chilly season to come," staff writer Joe Picchi wrote.

The national news that day focused on Kennedy's AFL-CIO speech calling for passage of his proposed tax cuts. Republicans replied it would be a mistake to cut taxes when the nation had a deficit.

Nov. 17, 1963

Local stories focused on the annual Whitney's Santa Claus Parade and the decision to close a 122-year-old, all-black congregation, the Liberty Presbyterian Church of Troy. Nationally, the press wondered if Michigan Gov. George Romney's political future was in doubt.

Nov. 18, 1963

Locally, the top story focused on whether public schools should grant credit for religious education classes run by local Catholic schools. On the world scene, Abdel Salem Aref announced he had taken power in Iraq. Opponents in the Ba'ath Party were urged to surrender their weapons or face execution.

Nov. 19, 1963

Twenty-six elderly people died in an Atlantic City fire, while Kennedy pledged to "prevent another Cuba." In Albany, the city's $17.9 million budget for 1964 would include a tax hike of $1.50 for city and school purposes.

Nov. 20, 1963

A Yale professor was released from Soviet custody after being accused of being a spy. Cambodia severed U.S. military and economic ties. Locally, a new school was proposed in Averill Park.

Nov. 21, 1963

A U2 spy plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, reportedly as it was spying on Cuba. Jackie Kennedy attended her first White House reception since the death of the first couple's infant son Patrick in August. New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, seeking the Republican presidential nomination, said Kennedy was too much of a politician to be president.

Nov. 22, 1963

Kennedy arrives in Texas amid a feud between Gov. John Connally and Sen. Ralph Yarborough. The President is met with protesters and a plane over his head trails a banner that says "Coexistence is Surrender." In the Capital Region, a fire raced through the Constantine Barn at South Shaker Farms, with firefighters struggling because the nearest water source was a mile away. About 20 cows died.

Nov. 23, 1963

The nation is in shock, the front page of the Times Union showing the now iconic photographs of Jacqueline Kennedy leaning over her stricken husband in the open-air limo and her standing beside Lyndon Johnson as he takes the oath of office. Local coverage reported residents saying over and over again: "It's terrible."

"Words cannot adequately express the grief we share with our countrymen," said William A. Scully, the Roman Catholic bishop of Albany.

Life in the Capital Region came to a halt, as stores closed, meetings were canceled and all eyes turned toward Washington for Kennedy's services.

Nov. 25, 1963

Lee Harvey Oswald's death, on Nov. 24, at the hands of Jack Ruby stunned the nation anew. Reactions across the region ranged from "I would rather have seen the man tried and learn the real truth" to "This is an outstanding example of divine retribution." One local man said he would have gladly helped to pull the trigger on Oswald himself.

Nov. 26, 1963

The news was full of stories about the late president's funeral. But other news began to be covered again as well: a couple suing the Salvation Army not to transfer them to Albany, a decision to close army depots in Schenectady and Voorheesville, and a soaring stock market after a deep plunge in the wake of Kennedy's death. That day, Jack Ruby was charged with Oswald's murder.